Film Reviews by JD

Domhnall Gleeson has a glittering career ahead of him. I have only previously seen him in Frank. Both are very powerful and moving films. He gets into your soul. I was attracted to the film because of Bill Nighy who has a glittering career behind him and his performance was brilliant. The plot is original, involving time travel, and for such a thought provoking one has only a few holes in it. I won't spoil it by pointing out the ones I spotted because it doesn't matter at the time. There is enough sadness for the romantically inclined but also enough plot for the more analytic andtons of comedy for simple pleasure.

I should really have given this 2 stars because it is just quite bad, but I ordered it because Javier Bardem is in my top 5 actors as is John Malkovich who admittedly is not acting but I thought might make a good director. No such luck. The plot is poor, there is no momentum to it, (I have never made so many cups of tea in 2 hours), there is no good angle to this film. Do not order just because Bardem is acting although he carries his performance reasonably.

I did not know the history of the American invasion of Cambodia nor the exact politics of the Khmer Rouge. This film shows all too graphically the systematic genocide as a result of American incompetence and then in its wake a fanatical regime of terror. There is a lot wrong with this film though. The American and Cambodian accents are hard to understand. Fortunately there are subtitles. The plot although historically fascinating is slow and any drama is solely because of the bleak terrifying brutality of the situation not because of any plot twist or development. The relationships between the characters is critical to the plot but is not convincingly pulled together.The 2 hours 20 minutes pass slowly.

This is not mainstream, it is not even close. Generally I do not like arty films made to appeal to film festival critics but this is wryly interesting. Essentially Frank is an indie singer / song-writer who prefers unpopular music. One of the other members of the band admires him and is positively opposed to popularity. Most of the band members have some sort of mental illness. The story however is told from the point of view of a new band member who never fits in very well partly because he is sane. The whole thing is gently, humorously, mad, even the stabbing.

You would be wrong to think that a PG rated film lacked bite and that a film made 23 years ago had poor production. This is a story told with immense tenderness and fine balance. I think a parent letting their 10 year old watch this should not underestimate the heart tearing sadness of a well performed tragedy. Personally I think nudity and swearing are not nearly so affecting as beautifully acted suffering and gently performed hardship.

The pace of the film is slow. It is essentially about a father accused by his daughter of paedophilia and so the build up is reasonably measured but there really is no need for dullness. It could have been much more dramatic especially given the calibre of Sofie's acting potential and the intensity of the material. The directing let it down badly given the storyline which had drama written through it like a stick of rock, I almost dozed off in parts. To conclude: brilliant acting, sickening plot, dreadful directing.

Nordic series have too much to live up to. Not everything from Denmark/Sweden resets your expectations. This is a pretty reasonable series about some bodyguards and their political protectees. There are multiple plots as you would expect but the plots are just not as interesting as Borgen/The Killing/The Bridge nor are the characters as captivating nor the acting as awesome. If I was expecting something like The Sweeney I would not have been so disappointed. There are some good moments in it such as when these 2 professionals break in to a suspects house, while they are briefly out, inspect it and set up some cameras, the suspense is pretty good. Some of the marriage break down stuff is a little wearing though.

What puts this film above all the other "save the president and get the girl" is Clint, John and possibly some good directing too. Malkovich's disguises are a strange brand of humour but most of the film is a tightly orchestrated assassination attempt. Don't be put off that it was made in 1993. It is better for it.

The acting is not poor, John Malkovich is good, but this film has little plot, little interest and no point. Some of the scenes are amazingly boring. A scene in a cafe in which the elderly actor is talking to his agent uses a long close up of his newly acquired shoes. By long I am guessing a minute. Him buying the shoes is one of the high points of the film. They are nice mid-tan brogues. Watch the film if you like brogues, otherwise don't.

The psychotically driven murderer is absolutely incredible. It is difficult not to be scared by him and at the same time to feel his pain. The motive for the crime at the outset of the film becomes increasingly clear through the film. All the parts are acted perfectly. I rented this because of Sofie (Killing etc.) but she does not steal the show. It will leave you feeling drained, sickened and sad but it is absolutely worth it.

There are a few difficulties with believing this concept. The dead police officers can communicate with their living loved ones but they cannot initially communicate anything of their sorrow or regret. At the end, just to make it even more difficult to believe, they can. Once you've been dead a while you can soon spot another dead person in with the living is a bit too close to Men in Black's aliens but it is good fun and you will definitely chuckle at a few bits of silliness.

Completely within the Bruce Willis genre of feelgood escapist silliness. Having Mirren, Malkovich and Freeman to give an air of gravitas makes the silliness even more humorous. Lots of dark silliness (Mirran pouring acid onto a recently killed victim to dissolve him while she talks on the phone, noxious gases rising from the bath as she talks). If you like Die Hard, this is fantastic.

In my ignorance I didn't know about the Greek civil war of the '40s. Clearly a dreadful time particularly for Greek women. This is a very sad and disturbing tale of triumph through adversity of a mother devoted to her children despite some particularly unpleasant soldier officers. The effect of this on her son is inspiring. Wonderful acting. Set in 2 periods of time, the older period beautifully crafted to feel a bit older. The more recent period still a little faded but no worse for it. Deeply moving.

This is a documentary of some Danish soldiers who go to Afghanistan. It covers their decisions to go, the reaction of their families and then to moments of genuine conflict with genuine casualties. Not for the faint hearted. This is a real account of warfare for civilians. This is not a film this is a lesson in death.

Throughout the 2 part film most of the actors put on a terrible French accent (with the exception of the Depardieus who are both utterly superb). Sometimes it is so bad it is pitiful. Occasionally there is some French (without sub-titles). Watched together it is 3 hours and it feels longer. If you're wondering there is no singing at all (thank goodness). It is a low budget film with a 70s feel to the camera work and finish. Not impressive. The plot is good in parts particularly those parts which have a Depardieu or John Malkovich in the middle. A very mixed bag.